Nyctophobia
by KidWolff
Summary: A new series about what an adult mental illness tagged along with a severe phobia of the dark can go through. It gets pretty dark, no pun intended. General fiction. Read more at fictionpress...


The shadows swirled around the room, sensing the fear rising the corner. Shifty eyes watched them helplessly. Shaking hands grasped onto her hair. The darkness crept closer and closer, even with the lamp on beside her. She grit her teeth together in a growl, but it had no effect on the shadows.

They began shifting, taking form of monsters and demons. She was no longer in control. The darkness had taken over her mind and she couldn't ward it off. Moisture slowly inched to the corners of her eyes. This would be another long night of unrest.

A gray face missing their eyes and bleeding black blood crawled out from underneath the bed. A pair of cold demonic eyes blinked from the other corner of the room. The shadows took their time forming tonight, but eventually the shape of a wild dog wound around the yellow eyes and a creepy grin was spread across its face. A tall women in a white dress flew around the room. Her swirling black hair shielded her face and seemed to have a mind of its own. More creatures appeared, taking their turns torturing her weak mind.

The sound of the front door opening reverberated through the apartment. The monsters froze momentarily before glancing back at her. The creaking steps were slow, taking their time to exploring the rooms. New images appeared as the demons happily turned back to her. Who was in her apartment? She pictured a robber breaking in and not only stealing her possessions but also attacking her. She saw the attacker then going after her girlfriend. Her breath hitched, hating even thinking about that happening, but her girlfriend wasn't even here. Things began escalating as rapid footsteps head towards the room. Pressure built and she's not sure how much more she could take.

Suddenly the door opened, revealing a bright light and the outline of a person. "Riley?!"

Riley was curled in the corner of their bed, all the while shaking and grabbing at her hair. Cassidy dashed into the room and pulled Riley into her arms. She whispered sweet nothings into her ear as she rocked her back and forth on the cushions. "Riley? Riley, it's okay. Shhh, I'm here now."

The trembling girl glanced up anxiously. The shadows slowly faded away like the wind. Relief spread through her body where ever their bodies touched. The shadows could never touch Cassidy physically, only in Riley's head did that boundary get blurred.

"What're…you doing here?" Riley asked, seemingly out of breath.

Cassidy gently brushed her fingers through her hair in an attempt to calm the girl. "I was worried about you after our phone call earlier."

Riley grabbed at her shirt, tucking her head under her chin. "But your family…"

Cassidy smiled sadly. "They'll be okay. They can handle it. Besides, your family too remember."

Riley pulled away a little bit. "I told you I was fine."

"Which I knew was a lie. I could hear the uneasiness in your voice, hun."

Riley sighed. "I didn't want to pull you away from your family. They live so far away and you hadn't seen them in a long time."

Cassidy chuckled. "Sweetie, I moved away from them for a reason. I can't stand them for more than a few days. It was about time I left anyway."

Riley frowned and leaned back into her chest. "I'm sorry."

"It's okay, Riley."

"No, it's…" Riley scowled and hid her face. "I'm tired of living like this."

Cassidy frowned and carefully rubbed the girl's arm soothingly. "It'll get better with time. We're still figuring out new medications for you. I know things have gotten worse lately and I wish I could do more but I'm still here for you."

The tears she'd been hiding finally fell from Riley's eyes. "Thank you."

Cassidy tried to smile. "C'mon, let's get you some sleep now that I'm here."

Riley nodded. They began pulling up the blankets from under them and laying down. She went to look at her girlfriend, but saw glowing yellow eyes over her shoulder. She tensed up against her, alerting her to the 'danger.'

Cassidy laid her hands on her cheeks, shifting the other girl's sight. "Don't look at it. It's not real." Riley tried to obey but ended up glancing back up after a few seconds. Cassidy responded by applying gentle pressure to her cheeks. "Ah, ah. Just listen to me and it'll go away."

They continued this for a few minutes until Cassidy pulled her into her grasp to completely shield her vision. She then began rubbing her head. Riley slowly relaxed into her hold until her eyes drifted shut.


End file.
